1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a microorganism including a gene encoding a protein having a hydroxylase activity, a composition for using in reducing a concentration of fluorinated methane in a sample, the composition including the microorganism including the gene encoding the protein having the hydroxylase activity, and a method of reducing the concentration of fluorinated methane in the sample.
2. Description of the Related Art
The emissions of greenhouse gases which have accelerated global warming are one of the serious environmental problems, and regulations to reduce and prevent the emissions of greenhouse gases have been tightened. Among the greenhouse gases, fluorinated gases (F-gas) such as perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), or SF6 show low absolute emission, but have a long half-life and a very high global warming potential, resulting in significant adverse environmental impacts. The amount of F-gas emitted from semiconductor and electronics industries which are major causes of F-gas emission has exceeded the assigned amount of greenhouse gas emissions and continues to increase. Therefore, costs required for degradation of greenhouse gases and greenhouse gas emission allowances are increasing every year.
A pyrolysis or catalytic thermal oxidation process has been generally used in the decomposition of F-gas. However, this process has disadvantages of limited decomposition rate, emission of secondary pollutants, high cost, etc. To solve this problem, biological decomposition of F-gas using a microbial biocatalyst has been adopted. Accordingly, it is expected to overcome the limitations of the chemical decomposition process and to treat F-gas in more economical and environmentally-friendly manner.
Hydroxylase is an enzyme that catalyzes introduction of a hydroxyl group (—OH) to carbon of a carbon-containing compound (RH), thereby converting a CH group into a COH group in a carbon-containing compound. The hydroxylase includes monooxygenase and dehalogenase. Monooxygenase catalyzes incorporation of one oxygen atom to the carbon position of a carbon-containing compound and reduction of another oxygen atom to water. Monooxygenase includes cytochrome P450 and methane monooxygenase (MMO). Cytochrome P450 belongs to the superfamily of proteins containing a heme cofactor, and therefore, cytochrome P450 is a hemoprotein. The dehalogenase is a type of enzyme that catalyzes the removal of a halogen atom from a substrate.
Despite the efforts of the prior art, there have been no reports about a microorganism including a hydroxylase gene which acts on fluorinated methane, a composition for and a method of reducing a concentration of fluorinated methane in a sample using the same.